Study Explores Deep Brain Stimulation for Stroke Patients

CLEVELAND – Statistics show someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds in the United States, and stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability.

Now, a Cleveland Clinic study is exploring the use of deep brain stimulation to help those who’ve suffered a stroke recover.

“Deep brain stimulation is a little bit like a pacemaker inside the brain,” explained Andre Machado, MD, PhD, chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Neurological Institute. “The pacemaker in the heart sends pulses to control the heartbeat. Deep brain stimulation sends electrical pulses into the brain to manage some of the brain activity to help treat a disease or a problem.”

Phase 1 of the trial involved 12 stroke patients suffering from moderate-to-severe muscle weakness on one side of the body.

Dr. Machado, who’s helping lead the research alongside Dr. Kenneth Baker, said each person underwent deep brain stimulation surgery – which involved implanting electrodes into part of the brain.

The electrodes were used to deliver electric pulses to help regain control of movements.

After surgery, study participants first underwent physical therapy with the deep brain stimulation device turned off for several weeks and then turned on for four to eight months.

Dr. Machado said the most significant improvements were noted with deep brain stimulation turned on, and nine out of 12 people in the trial improved motor impairment and function.

“The traditional treatment for rehabilitation after a stroke is physical and occupational therapy – that remains the standard,” Dr. Machado said. “However, deep brain stimulation made the improvements greater than what physical and occupational therapy could achieve alone.”

Dr. Machado adds more research is needed, and the study is ongoing.

These findings were recently published in Nature Medicine.

Editor’s note: Dr. Machado patented the DBS method in stroke recovery. Boston Scientific owns a license to those patents and provided the Vercise DBS systems used in the trial. In 2010, Cleveland Clinic Innovations established Enspire DBS Therapy, Inc., and is commercializing technology to commercialize the method. Dr. Machado holds stock options and equity ownership rights with Enspire and serves as the chief scientific officer.